GADHAFI’S FINAL MOMENTS

Was Moammar Gadhafi accidentally shot in the crossfires of a gun battle while on the way to hospital as described in the most recent account?  Or was he taunted and beaten before being deliberately executed in cold blood?

Those are legitimate questions being raised as Libya begins a new era of leadership while seeking to explain how the former leader ended up dead with several gun shot wounds to his head, shoulder and back.  Several stories regarding Gadhafi’s final moments have surfaced, although it’s extremely difficult not to see via video that Gadhafi was purposely executed by his captors.

An autopsy conducted yesterday in Misratah concluded that Gadhafi died from a fatal shot to the head, according to Libya’s chief pathologist, Dr. Othman al-Zintani.  He would not disclose further details or elaborate on Gaddafi’s final moments, choosing instead to first deliver a full report to the attorney general.  The 69-year-old Gadhafi was captured last Thursday, still alive but wounded. Bloody images have since emerged of Gadhafi being taunted and beaten by his captors, including one video showing a man being celebrated as the supposed trigger man who delivered the final death shot.

Now there is international concern regarding the circumstances of Gadhafi’s death, as well as the aftermath following his demise. Some are questioning how Libya can justify its intent to be an independent and democratic society with the blood of an executed Gadhafi on their hands.  Since his death, new video has been released that shows Gadhafi being sodomized during his final moments. Also, Gadhafi’s body has been put on public display in a grisly freak show in a shopping center in the port city of Misratah, where thousands of Libyan citizens have been allowed to parade past his deceased and rotting corpse to see him in death with their own eyes.

Most Libyans have shown little concern regarding the circumstances of the dictator’s death. “If he (Gadhafi) was taken to court, this would create more chaos, and would encourage his supporters,” said Salah Zlitni, 31, who owns a pizza parlor in downtown Tripoli. “Now it’s over.”

Nor have Libyans been troubled by the public display of the Gadhafi corpse or the fact he has not been buried in a timely fashion as demanded by Islamic law. “He’s not human and not a Muslim because what he did to us no Muslim can do,” said Mohammed Ahmed next to where Gadhafi lay on the floor on a filthy mattress in a place previously used to store onions. “Even the animals don’t want anything to do with him.”